Spellbound
by Arin DeStruction
Summary: Draco Malfoy never gave Hermione Granger a second look during their school days. But now, 13 years later, something about her has caught his eye. And he'll do anything to get her. Horrible summary. Better Story. Draco/Astoria, Ron/Hermione, Draco/Hermione Prequel to my new Scorose story, Forever And A Day.
1. Chapter 1

**Spellbound**

**Chapter 1**

Draco Malfoy scoffed and tossed the days Daily Prophet down onto his desk. Hermione Granger's face smiled up at him from the front page.

"Brightest witch of our age, my fucking arse. Got lucky, she did. Filthy, little m-"

"Daddy, whats an 'fucking arse'?" said a tiny voice behind him. And when Draco spun around, he was face to face with a tiny little blonde boy. His only son; his mini-me.

"Nothing, Scorp. Nothing you need to say. Especially not in front of your mother." He hoped the 5 year old would listen for once.

"I'll just go ask Mummy, then. Since _you_ won't tell me." The defiant little boy spun on his heel and began to walk away.

"How about- How about we go get ice cream?"

"In Diagon Alley?" The boy turned back to his father with a hopeful look on his face.

Draco grinned at how easily he had been distracted. He had definitely changed since the end of the war. Hell, he'd changed even more since getting married and having a child. He was still a Malfoy, of course, just with a tab bit of a softer edge to him now.

"Yes. In Diagon Alley. Now, go get your shoes on and I'll let Mummy know we're leaving."

As Scorpius darted out of the room, Draco grimaced at what he had almost called Hermione. A word he hadn't uttered since their school days. A word that used to flow freely from his mouth. But God damn it, seeing her just struck a nerve and made him so angry. Maybe it was how successful she had become while, 13 years later, his family was still working their asses off to restore their name. Maybe it was because she seemed to be so happily married to The Weasel and his marriage had never been anything close to perfect and had began crumbling after Scorpius was born. Maybe it was because... He stopped himself and decided the last reason wasn't a reason at all. (Or maybe the biggest reason of all.)

He found his wife in the kitchen, pouring over a cookbook. Her long, flowing hair tied in a messy bun on top of her head. She was beautiful. She was his perfect woman. So, why did he not feel anything for her? His parents had made an arranged, pureblood marriage work (sort of), so why couldn't he?

" 'Storia? I'm gonna take the little guy to Diagon Alley to get some ice cream. We'll be back before dinner."

Astoria sighed and curtly closed her cookbook. "Don't ruin his dinner, please, Draco. And don't buy him anything he doesn't need. And don't... Be gone long."

"What's the matter?" Draco's shoulders fell. He knew he had done or said something wrong, but he didn't know what it was. The sentences that had came out had sounded perfectly reasonable to him.

"You don't think that maybe I'd like to go? Were you even going to ask?"

"Do you want-"

"No, just go, Draco. I have a dinner to fix."

" 'Stor-"

"Go, Draco. For fuck's sake, just go already."

"Fucking damn it, Astoria. Fine. See you later."

Draco practically ran Scorpius over as he stormed into the hallway. "Are you ready to go, Daddy?"

"Yep. Did you tell Mummy bye?"

"Yes, sir. Let's go!" He grabbed Draco's hand and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Ready?"

Scorpius nodded his head, keeping his eyes tightly closed and with a pop the pair disapparated out of the hallway and into the dining room of the Leaky Cauldron. After exchanging pleasantries with Tom the barman, they made their way into the back alley. Draco would have preferred to have just apparated straight into Diagon Alley, but Scorpius just loved watching the wall melt away.

As they walked down the street, Scorpius looked up at his father. "Daddy, can we go to... Foolish & Box and get Mummy a book?"

"It's Flourish & Blotts." He corrected a little too harshly at the mention of his wife. And when he saw his son's face fall, he quickly changed his tone. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it like that. Why do you want to go to the bookstore and get a book for Mummy?"

"Because she's sad. I want to make her happy."

Draco stopped in his tracks and knelt down in front of the blissfully unaware child. "Oh, my dear boy," he said placing his hand on Scorpius' cheek. "You do make her happy. I know you do. But if you want to find her a present, then we shall find her the best present there is." He stood up and they rejoined hands to continue walking. "Now, the big question is... Do you want to find it before or after ice cream?"

Scorpius didn't miss a beat. "After. Duh."

With smiles on their faces, they made it to the ice cream parlor and ordered. As they were sitting down at the table that Scorpius had picked out, Draco noticed a slender brunette bending over, tying the shoe of a tiny redheaded girl. When she stood up, he tried to sneak a peek at her backside but wasn't sneaky enough. Before he could look away, the little girl had ratted him out. And as the witch turned around to tell him off, he wished he had just kept his eyes to himself.

"Draco Malfoy, you disgusting rat. And in front of, I'm assuming, your son? What in Merlin's name are you trying to teach him?" The woman half-shrieked.

"Granger. I'm sorry. Didn't realize that such an annoying creature as yourself could have such a nice arse."

"Did you really just insult me and compliment me in the same sentence?"

"Hmm... Guess I did. So, famous Miss Granger, huh? You're all over the papers these days with your ministry work and marriage. I bet Weasley just dies everytime the money rolls in. Say, how is it being married to a weasel?"

"How about you ask your wife how it feel to be married to The Amazing Bouncing Ferret and I expect her answer will be the exact opposite of mine." Hermione scrunched her face into a condesending smile.

"Yeah, you're probably right about that. Look, I'm sorry I was rude. How about we start over and you introduce me to the beautiful little girl hiding behind your legs." Draco leaned down and smiled at the tiny girl.

Taken slightly aback by Draco's change in tone and demeanor, Hermione tripped over her words for a second. "This- This is my daughter, Rose. Rosie, say hi to Mr. Malfoy?"

She managed to squeak out a small "Hi." before retreating back behind her mother.

"And who are you?" Hermione smiled at Draco's clone.

"I'm Scorpius! I'm five!" He said, happily.

"Are you?" Hermione smiled at him again, this time brighter and a little happier. "Rosie, here, is only four. But she'll be five soon."

"What's your name?"

"My name's Hermione." She watched as he scrunched his face trying to figure our her complicated name. "But you can call me something else if you'd like. Something easier."

Scorpius thought for a second before declaring, "I like 'Mione. It's smaller."

"You know, I like it, too." She smiled at him and Draco smiled at her. He liked that she was being so nice to his son when there was no earthly reason for her to. Except, of course, that she was a nice person. And beautiful... And... Draco had to shut his brain off again. He was getting sidetracked. "But we have to go now, okay? I was very nice to meet you, Scorpius. And very nice to see you again, Draco."

"Uhm, yeah. You, too, Hermione." Thankfully her voice shook him out of anymore thoughts that he really shouldn't have been thinking.

"Say bye, Rosie?"

Rose squeaked out a "bye!" with out coming out of hiding and then they began to walk off.

"Can I write you?" Scorpius yelled after them.

"I would love it if you would write me!" Hermione grinned at Scorpius and then shot her grin over to Draco. He thought he had seen her give him a quick wink as they popped out of Diagon Alley, but he couldn't be sure. So, he decided to pretend she had. Even though, he probably shouldn't have.

X X X X

When Draco and Scorpius apparated back into their kitchen, Astoria turned away from the pot she was tending on the stove and scowled at Draco. "What took you so long? I thought you were just getting ice cream and figured you'd be back an hour ago."

"He wanted to find you a present. And it took him forever to find you the perfect one. We visited almost every single shop." Brushing off her dirty look, Draco nudges Scorpius. "Wanna give her the present?"

Scorpius handed his mother a bag and her eyes lit up as she pulled out a very ornately designed wooden jewelry box. "Are you happy now, Mummy? I hope you are."

"My sweet, what makes you think Mummy's not happy?"

"You always look sad. And I hear you cry all the time when Daddy's not here. Are you happy now, Mummy? I just wanted you to be happy for once."

"Oh sweet boy," She stroked his cheek. "I'm always happy with you. Don't you worry about me. I'm always happy when I think of you. I love you."

As much as Draco appreciated what Astoria was telling their son, he knew Scorpius was the only reason for her happiness. He knew that he was the reason she was so sad all the time. He knew he didn't make her happy. They had made each other happy for a while, at first. But not "married couple" happy. He knew they were staying together for Scorpius. And knowing all of these things crushed him.

"So, why don't you go get washed up for dinner, darling? It's almost ready." She tousled his hair as he darted out of the kitchen. "Did he really pick that out?"

"All by himself. He really wanted you to have it."

Astoria nodded and turned back to the stove. When she did, Draco walked up behind her, snaked his hands around her waist, buried his face in her hair and breathed deeply. He very much liked how she always smelled like cherry blossoms.

"What are you doing, Draco?" she asked curtly.

"I want to make you happy again. I want you to love me again. Is that too much to ask?" He said quietly, moving away from his wife.

"Was it too much to ask that you loved me in the first place? This marriage is bogus, Draco. And we both know it. We aren't meant for each other. Blood status doesn't matter anymore, so I don't know why we agreed to try and keep up appearences with this shit."

"Come on- "

"No. Quit fooling yourself, Draco. People know. They can tell. Now, please go get ready for dinner. It's almost done."

xxxx

**A/N: This is my first HP fic after reading these books since they first came out, so be kind please! Reviews are very much welcomed! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Spellbound**

**Chapter Two**

With a pop, Hermione and Rose appeared in their living room. Ron greeted his wife with a kiss on the lips and gave Rose a quick kiss on the forehead.

"What took you guys so long? I figured you'd be back an hour ago."

"Rosie was a good girl, so we got ice cream. And found Hugo a present since he didn't go. And we ran into Malfoy and his son at the ice cream parlor."

"Oh, really? How'd that turn out?" Ron laughed a little.

"He was... Well, he was Malfoy. Only, not as rude. And technically, he asked about you."

"What do you mean, technically?"

Hermione smiled at her husband and winked. "So, is everyone still coming for dinner?" she asked, unloading food and two tiny toy brooksticks for her children.

"Yes, ma'am. They'll be here after they get off work. Hugo's taking a nap. And apparently," he glanced over at the couch, "so is Rose."

"I got you something."

Ron looked around. There was nothing left for Hermione to take out of her bags. "Well, what is it, then?"

With a flick of her wand, Hermione opened the door and something flew inside and skidded to a halt in front of Ron. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"That's a Firebolt 8500. Are you sure it's for me?"

"I know it's not the newest model, and I know I really don't know much about brooms, but according to the saleswitch it's a very satisfactory broom."

"It's more than satisfactory, 'Mione. It's magnificent." He said, feeling the handle and looking the broomstick up and down.

"Besides, someone had to teach the kids to fly. And it sure as hell isn't going to be me. You know how well I handle it."

"You would let me teach our 2 and 4 year olds how to fly?"

"Of course."

Ron's smile was priceless. "You are one hell of a woman, Hermione. You know that? You're perfect. And beautiful. And you can cook. I couldn't ask for anything more. I really couldn't." He sat the broom down and embraced Hermione and kissed her.

"Oh, Ronald." Hermione laughed.

"What? I'm not lying."

"You're pretty great yourself." She laughed again. Ron took her by the hand and began dragging her upstairs to their bedroom. "Ron, I can't! I have to start cooking!" She giggled and tried tugging away from him.

"You're a witch, aren't you? You can speed it up if you need to." Ron smiled as he watched the light dance in her eyes.

"Yeah, I can speed _something_ up."

"I meant the food!" Ron laughed as Hermione turned and began pulling him up the stairs instead. "Yes!"

"Oh, shut up, Ronald!" And with that, she latched their bedroom door shut and pushed him onto the bed.

x x x

Draco sat in his study, quill to parchment, not knowing where to start. He needed to talk to someone but didn't know who to ask. Well, one person came to mind, but he wasn't sure she'd even say yes. He looked up as he heard the door open and saw a little blonde head peek in.

"Daddy? Can we write 'Mione a letter? I wanna tell her about Mummy's jewelry box."

"Sure, we can. Come sit on my lap and tell me what you wanna say." Scorpius climbed up and went to grab for the quill in Draco's hand. He stuck it in the ink well and hesitated.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, son?"

"How do you spell 'Mione?"

Draco chuckled. "How do you think you spell it?"

Scorpius thought for a minute and began writing "Dear Miney...". When he was finished, he hopped off of Draco's lap looking very proud of himself.

"Go find our owl and I'll get this all sealed up and we can send it, okay?"

Scorpius ran out of the room and Draco pulled out another piece of parchment and wrote a quick note to Hermione. If he really needed someone to talk to, this was his only chance to do it or he'd lose his nerve to ask. By the time Scorpius made it back with their owl, he had the letters all sealed up in an envelope. He attached the envelope to the owls leg and told it where to go. Wishing it luck as it flew out the window, since he had no utter idea where Hermione actually lived.

"Do you think she'll like my letter, Daddy?"

"I think she'll love it." Draco said with a smile, hoping she wasn't too shocked by his.

x x x

A great big tawny owl rapped at the window in the kitched just as the Weasley's, Potter's, and Teddy Lupin sat down to eat. When Ron opened the window, the owl flew past him and landed right in front of Hermione, pecking at anyone besides her that tried touching it. She took the envelope off of its leg and it took off, pecking Ron on the head as he flew past and back out the window.

"Who's that from, 'Mione?"

When she opened the envelope up and saw the scribbles of a 5 year old, she smiled. "Malfoy's son. Apparently, I'm his new best friend. He's a cute little kid. Nothing at all like Malfoy." And then she unfolded Draco's letter and she furrowed her brow.

"What is it?" Ron asked, worried.

"He says that it was nice seeing me today and that he has a question for me. He wants me to meet him at The Leaky Cauldron tomorrow around noon. He says he's having marriage troubles, among other things, and needs some advice and can't turn to anyone in his family and hopes I'll go chat with him." Everyone in the room was speechless. "Can I go?" She asked, slowly and skeptically.

"Are you asking permission?" Ron asked.

"Well, I guess so... I mean, I know he isn't exactly a friend, but he is reaching out. And maybe I can help him."

"So, what are you asking to go for? If that's what you want to do, who am I to stop you?"

"The only men I've ever been alone with, besides collegues, are family. I don't know what the protocol for non-family males is..." Hermione was confused. Why was she jumping at the chance to go help someone who was never anything but a menace to her all through school? Someone who never did anything to help anyone else, just himself?

"Then, go. I can't stop you." Ron's voice had an edge to it.

"You are my husband, you know. You're allowed to have a say. Why do you think I asked? I could have just said I was going and screw what you want, but I didn't." Hermione shot back. She didn't understand why he was getting so angry. And at the same time, she did.

Ron didn't understand why she wanted to go and visit with Malfoy. After all the hell he put her through in school and after all the names he called her, it just didn't make sense. But there was a lot that Ron didn't understand these days. Hermione always seemed like her mind was somewhere else. Some days, she seemed distant and a tad bit cold. And then, other days, like today, she was warm and friendly and even up for a midday roll in the hay. But she wouldn't talk. Not to him or Harry, or Ginny even. And definitely not Mrs. Weasley. No matter how hard they all tried, she would clam up and change the sunbject or start talking to somebody else. He was happy enough, so he didn't understand why she didn't seem to be.

After everyone had left and the kids had gone to bed, Ron and Hermione were cleaning up the kitchen. He hated when she decided to clean the muggle way, but at the same time, it was a quirk of hers, and God only knows how much he loved her quirks.

"Say, 'Mione, after you get done tomorrow, lets have Mum watch the kids and go out to eat. We can go to that one Indian muggle place you love so much."

"Well, my mum wants me to stop by over there after I get done, but if it's not too late when I get back, we can go." There she went again. Distant. She didn't even look at him as she spoke.

Ron gave up on conversation and finished doing what he was doing. When he got done he headed quietly upstairs and went to bed. A couple hours later, when Hermione finally came to bed, Ron put his arm around her and buried his face in her neck and hair. Hermione found his hand with hers and gave it a squeeze and Ron knew she was sorry for the way she had acted. With that, he fell asleep, content with himself and his wife. But lying next to him was another story. Hermione had trouble sleeping that night. Her mind was racing about what the next day had in store and wondering why she was so anxious. Holding Ron's hand while he was asleep was comforting, but only so much. It didn't help the way it used to. Finally, after hours of her mind buzzing, it became so tired that it seemed like it just shut off and she drifted off into a sleep racked with weird dreams and confusing thoughts.

x x x

Draco sat at a table in The Leaky Cauldron, fingering at the hair of a little redheaded porcelain doll. Hermione hadn't written him back saying she'd be there, so he knew it was a long shot, but he was waiting anyways. He had picked up the doll as a... Well, he wasn't exactly sure why he'd bought the doll for Rose, but he had seen it in a shop window and couldn't resist. And he thought he had remembered a birth announcement a couple years ago about a little boy, so while he was buying the doll, he picked up a tiny scale model Quidditch field with tiny flying players. He wasn't sure what to get a 2 year old boy, but he thought it'd be okay. Noon came and went and Draco's hopes that she would show up were deminishing, when suddenly he saw her. Her brunette hair was slicked back in a low bun and she was wearing a jade sweater that didn't do her justice. She looked stunning. And as she walked to his table, he realized his palms were sweating.

"Her-hermione. I didn't think you'd show." He said, standing up and pulling out a chair for her.

"Why wouldn't I?" She said, sitting down and smiling. "You asked."

"I-i know... I don't know why I thought you would... Or wouldn't."

"What's the matter?" Hermione asked as Draco sat back down. "You seem nervous."

"Sorry... I don't know what's the matter. Uhm, " he picked up the doll. "I got this for Rose. And you have a little boy, don't you?"

Hermione took the doll and smiled. "Yes, Hugo. He's two."

"I'm not exactly sure what two year olds like. I wasn't even good at picking out things for my own. But I thought he'd like this some day." And he handed her the tiny Quidditch field.

"Oh, he'll love this now. He'll think the players are funny."

"Oh, good. Good..."

"So, what did you want to talk about? I might not have any advice, but I'm told I'm a good listener."

Draco glanced around at all the people in the pub. "Let's go somewhere else. There's too many ears around." He didn't want to air all his problems around people who already knew half of them anyways.

"Alright. Where to?"

"I think I know the perfect place." Draco took Hermione's hand, with a nod of approval first and they disapparated from the pub and reappeared in an alleyway with a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower.

"Paris?" Hermione was confused.

"I figured there's no eavesdroppers this far away. And if they do, they really won't care what we have to say."

"This is my favorite place in the world. How did you know?"

"I didn't. But I guess I chose okay, then." Draco smiled. "Let's walk?"

"Yes, let's." Hermione returned his smile, but couldn't shake the tingling feeling where Draco's hand had been wrapped around hers for that brief moment in time.

X X X


	3. Chapter 3

**Spellbound**

**Chapter Three**

The pair walked and talked, peeking in shops and passing by cafes. They shared a laugh at a cafe sign advertising 'une cafe' for 2 Euros a cup, but 'une cafe, sil vous plait' for only 1 Euro, 80 centime. They finally settled on a little restaurant on the Champs Elysees with a perfect view between The Eiffel Tower and L'Arc de Triomphe.

"So, you've completely avoided the subject of why you wanted to talk to me. And why we came to Paris to keep away from eavesdroppers. So, it's something very important to you or you're kidnapping me. And I don't know if I'm okay with that." Hermione chuckled a bit as the waitress sat down their cappuchinos. "Merci. I mean, I'm not okay with the kidnapping part. Although," she paused to take a drink. "If you kept me here, I might not mind as much."

Draco sighed and began filling her in on the happenings of his house. The way his wife was, the reason they were married in the first place, the way they were only staying together for Scorpius. He talked about how he didn't know what to do; that he had feelings for someone (but wouldn't say who. Although, Hermione had an idea.); that he felt like he just needed a break and needed out. He wanted to be there for his son, just not in the kind of environment they were in. And Hermione listened to everything, not making a sound until Draco stopped talking.

"I'm so sorry, Draco. I-"

"Don't say you don't know what to say. I figured you wouldn't. Just kinda feels good to be able to get it all out. Talk about it with someone, you know?"

"Yeah, I do know, actually."

"How would you know? You have the perfect marriage, pretty much."

"Oh, trust me. I don't. We're happy, yes. Perfect? Not even close. But we love each other. And that's the first thing you need to have a good marriage. You'll never have a perfect one."

"Good point. Wish I could say that we loved each other, but we don't."

"You'll find that person someday." Hermione smiled and looked at her watch. "Holy shit, I better go... It's getting late." She stood up to grab her things and Draco grabbed her wrist.

"Come on, Granger. It's nighttime in Paris. The City of Lights. And we're here to experience it. Stay a little bit longer. Please?"

Hermione sighed. "Okay, but only a little longer."

Draco smiled again. "Thank you. Do you want to go dancing? I feel like dancing."

Hermione thought for a moment. She loved to go out dancing, but could never get Ron to agree to go. On second thought, she could never get him to agree to go out and do anything. "Yes, let's. Ron never wants to go dancing."

They found a dark alleyway and made their way into it to change their clothes. Hermione made Draco close his eyes as she transfigured her jeans and sweater into a mid-thigh length dress of deep burgandy, made her hair into soft billowing curls, accented the dress with gold jewelry and gold and burgandy stilettos . He turned his clothing into dress pants and dress shoes, with a white button down shirt with emerald green and silver buttons and an emerald green bowtie.

When Draco was allowed to look again, he was speechless. "You are absolutely..." He had so many words running through his mind and he couldn't decide which fit Hermione more. "Stunning. Magnificent. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Perfect. I- I am the luckiest man in the world tonight. You have an idiot for a husband if he doesn't want to be seen out in public with you looking like this."

Hermione blushed. "You look very dashing, yourself." she said, ignoring the comment about Ron (even though it was the truth). "Now, let's find somewhere to show off our kickass moves."

They finally found a tiny little muggle dance hall called Le Petit Chaval and entered. Since Draco spoke limited French, he found a little booth in the corner and Hermione went to order a bottle of wine. Hermione was with him a few minutes later, setting down a bottle of red wine and a bottle of blush wine and two glasses. "This place is spectacular." She said, staring at all the people out dancing. Draco poured their wine and they toasted each other before taking a drink. They talked for a while and people-watched. Hermione talked a little about Ron and how boring it had sometimes become since they had been married. Draco kept his comments about The Weasel to himself, for fear of her leaving. They talked about their favorite things. Hermione tried explaining what a movie was and why she liked them so much.

"Did you ever get read stories as a child?"

"Yeah, a couple."

"And did you ever imagine the scenarios in your head? Like, what was happening and what they were saying?"

"I guess so."

"That's pretty much what a movie is. Its people acting out a story, but its not in your head. It's on a screen for a bunch of people to watch at a time."

"Sounds... interesting?"

"Well, apparently, I'll just have to show you one sometime. They're magical. In the muggle sense of the word, at least." Hermione began pouring herself another glass of wine when a slow sounding song started playing. "Oh, I love Frank Sinatra! Can we dance to this one?"

Draco hated slow songs, especially ones he didn't know by people he had never heard of. But the chance to have her that close to him? Yeah, he wasn't stupid enough to pass that up. He grabbed her hand and puller her onto the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist. She laid her head on his shoulder and he closed his eyes and breathed in. She smelled like lilacs. The song ended faster than he wanted it to and before he knew it she was pulling away from him. But they kept dancing. Hermione loved the fast songs. She kept wanting Draco to spin her around. And as much as Draco loved being out on the dance floor twirling Hermione and catching her, he no longer loathed slow songs, he relished them, waiting for one to come back around so she would be close to him again for more than a few quick seconds at a time. The night was full of dancing and wine and more dancing and more wine, until finally, they fell back into their booth, exhausted. Hermione laid her head on Draco's shoulder and looked up at him, smiling while he began to play with her hair.

"Thank you for this, Draco. I think we both really needed it. We both needed a friend. And we both found one, didn't we?"

"Yeah... We did, didn't we?" He leaned his head on hers and sighed. This was the happiest he'd been in a while. Hermione tilted her head up to look at him once more, and before he knew it he was kissing her. And she wasn't objecting. She was twisting her body to a better angle and Draco was entwining his fingers in her hair. His mind was racing, in a good way. He couldn't believe he had actually kissed her and not received a slap in the face in return. He couldn't believe that the girl he had tormented all through school was here next to him, her hand on his cheek, kissing him back.

Next thing Draco knew, they were in a hotel room. Their clothes were thrown around the room and they were tangled in the sheet with Hermione on top of him. He couldn't get over how soft her skin was and he loved how she shivered a little every time he touched her. He just wanted to stare at her. She was perfect to him. He maneuvered himself so he could flip on top of her and when he did, he couldn't stop staring. Her hair had framed her face perfectly and she had a glow about her that he had never seen before. He didn't want this to end. He knew it was going to eventually, but there was a small part of him that wished they could stay in this moment forever. And when it was over, and his arms and legs wanted to collapse, he stayed hovering about her trying to keep a mental image of how beautiful she was in that minute. Hermione sighed, smiling. She lifted her head up and gave Draco a soft kiss on the lips. And with that, she rolled onto her side, pulling the sheet around her, and he laid down behind her. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. As they drifted off to sleep, everything seemed alright in the world. Until morning came and the happiness the wine had helped bring wore off.

Hermione jumped out of bed and scrambled to find her clothes. "Draco! What the hell?"

"Wha-?" Draco woke up with a start and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "What's the matter?"

"What's the matter?! Do you realize what we did last night?"

"Yeah. And I thought you did, too." he said, catching his underwear that had been tossed at him. "What's the problem?"

"The problem is we're married! You're married! I'm married. And I am perfectly happy in my marriage, okay?! Oh, my God. I'm so stupid."

"You? Perfectly happy? Bullshit!" He slid his underwear on and jumped out of bed. "You didn't have to stay last night! When I asked you to stay, you could have disapparated back home without even telling me no! You had every opportunity to leave last night. Hell, you didn't even have to meet me in the first place! Perfectly happy, my arsehole."

"And just how do you know if I'm happy or not?"

"How? I see your pictures in the paper. I saw your face yesterday. And the day before. You know when you looked happiest? Out on that dance floor. If anything before that was happy, then I must be the happiest man in the world because the look you had rivaled the one I know I have. And I sure as fuck am not happy. Yesterday was probably the happiest I've been in years. Because of you."

"Draco, do not put that on me!" Hermione threw on the sweater and jeans that she had transfigured her dress back into. "You don't know it was because of me. We were kind of drunk, you know. That could have made you happy!"

"Fine. You go back to your boring, work-filled life with your boring husband who doesn't do anything that you like to do. And go back to being stuck and miserable. And I'll do the same."

"I'm not miserable and stuck..." Hermione's sentence trailed off.

"You're the one who used those words last night. Not me." Draco had an edge to his voice that she didn't care for.

"I have to go." She turned to grab her purse, but Draco caught her hand.

"Please. Don't..."

"I have to. I have a family to get back to. So do you." But she didn't let go of his hand. They could both feel the electricity surging between them.

"Fine. Just one more thing before you go."

"What's that?" Hermione whispered as he got closer.

Draco got as close as he could, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her with everything he had. It only lasted about 30 seconds but felt like an eternity. When they broke apart, he placed a small kiss on her nose. "Remember that when you're home being 'not miserable and stuck'."

And with a pop, and a look of sadness, she was gone.

X X X


	4. Chapter 4

**Spellbound**

**Chapter Four**

When Hermione appeared in her kitchen, Ron almost had a heart attack. "Hermione! Where the hell have you been? I've been worried sick!"

"I am so sorry, Ronald. When I got to Mum and Dad's last night, they wanted me to go through a bunch of my old things so they could get rid of things I didn't want anymore. And it just got really late, so I stayed and didn't have any way to get ahold of you. I am so sorry."

Ron wrapped his arms around his wife. He could tell she really felt bad about it. "It's alright. Let's just not let it happen again." She returned his embrace with her head shoved in his neck. "How was your chat with Malfoy?"

Hermione shook her head and kissed Ron full on the mouth. It was a hot, passionate kiss and when she pulled back Ron looked confused. It had been a while since she had kissed him like that. "I love you. You know that, right?"

"Yeah. I love you, too. What's the matter?"

"Nothing. Just had a rough night last night." Well, she technically wasn't lying... She sat her bag down and went to find something to eat in the kitchen. "Malfoy was... Okay, I guess. He just needed a shoulder to lean on. He really doesn't have anyone to talk to, you know. And what he wanted to talk about, he really couldn't say to his wife since it was mostly about her. He's pretty much the same troubled kid he was at school. The only difference is he's married and a father. And probably has to shave his face now." Hermione added the last part to see if she could get a laugh out of Ron and laughed herself when she had succeeded.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Where are the kids at? Malfoy sent presents for them."

"Really?" Ron thought he had misheard her.

"Yeah. Apparently, he's a big softy when it comes to kids, or something." Not a complete lie. But she sure as Hell wasn't going to tell Ron that he bought the toys to soften her up a bit.

"Uhm, they're at Mum's. Listen, I was thinking we could spend the day together. Mum's okay with watching the little rugrats and we haven't had just 'us time' in ages."

Hermione nodded in agreement. Maybe time with her husband would take her thoughts away from Draco and they happenings of the previous night. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea, Ronald. I would love to spend the day with you. Just the two of us." She smiled at Ron and winked.

"We should probably stop by The Burrow before we go anywhere. Everyone's worried sick about you."

Hermione stopped smiling. "I really am sorry, darling. I feel terrible."

"It's alright. They'll understand." Ron grabbed her hand, gave it a squeeze, and they disapparated to The Burrow together.

x x x

It was a couple hours after Hermione left that Draco finally decided to stop moping around the streets of Paris and go home. And when he got there, he decided straight away to tell his wife of his indiscretion. When he found her, she was sitting in the library, mindlessly thumbing through a book.

"Astoria? I need to talk to you about something."

"Oh. You're home. Well, I need to tell you something, as well." She put down the book she was holding and crossed her hands in her lap.

"Oh. Uhm, okay. You first, then, I guess."

Astoria took a deep breath. "Last night, while you were gone, I took Scorpius to your parent's house, and I went out with a man. I met him in town one day and we've been corresponding for a while. And we, well, we slept together."

Draco felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of him. He thought he should feel some sort of jealousy or something, but he just felt relieved. "Well, that completely steals the thunder away from me, then."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, the reason I wasn't home last night is because I took an old classmate of mine to Paris. We ran into each other in Diagon Alley the other day and met up yesterday. Unless you want details, I'm sure you can figure out what happened."

"Paris? Well... That's... Paris... Huh." Astoria didn't know what to think. He had never taken her to Paris before.

"So... What do we do now?"

"What do you think we should do?"

Draco thought for a minute. "Are you going to see him again?"

"I had planned on it... Are you going to see her again?"

"I actually don't know. That's up to her. We didn't get a chance to discuss it." Which wasn't totally a lie. They really hadn't discussed it. Although, Draco had assumed that her leaving the way she did was conversation enough.

"Well, if you want to keep seeing her, I fully support you, I guess."

"You're only supporting me so you can keep seeing whoever you're seeing." Draco sneered.

"Maybe I am. But is that really a bad thing? Think about it, Draco. When was the last time we had a civil conversation?" She watched as Draco tried to remember. "Now, we both have someone who makes us happy. And look, civility returns."

Draco thought for a moment. "I guess I see your point. But what about us? Yes, we have these other people, but do we stay married? What about our parents finding out?"

"Screw our parents, Draco. We're fucking adults. But, I think, yes, for the time being and for Scorpius' sake, we stay married. And if the time comes where a divorce is necessary, we can always get one. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, I guess."

"Okay... Sounds good. I guess." Draco was hesitant to agree, but felt that Astoria was right in thinking that this was the first civil conversation they had had since they had gotten married. "I've got some stuff I need to do up in my office."

"Okay, dinner will be ready at 7:30 sharp. And I'll go get Scorpius from your mum and dad's."

"Thanks..." Draco left the room, slightly confused as to what had happened. He hadn't expected it to end the way it did.

He spent the next few hours, with the exception of going down for dinner, in his study writing and rewriting a letter to Hermione. He had to get the wording just right, and nothing sounded good enough. He wanted a chance plead his case; to make her see him the way he saw her. Finally, in the early hours of the morning, he felt he had gotten it kind of right and gave up. He tied the letter to the leg of his owl, who kept nipping at his fingers because she had been woken up rather rudely, and sent her on the way to Hermione's office at the Ministry. As he watched the great big owl fade into the distance, he hoped and prayed that she'd meet him and just consider what he had to say.

x x x

"Mornin', Mrs. Weasley." said a plump, little blonde witch to Hermione after she entered her department the next morning. "You have a letter on your desk. It's sproutin' lilacs everywhere."

"Do you know who it's from?" Hermione asked, digging around in a pile of papers.

"No, ma'am. There wasn't a sender on the envelope. And you almost didn't get it. It was addressed to a Ms. Granger and we almost forgot that was you! Whoever sent it might not know you're married, Miss." interjected a tall, skinny brunette witch with a very large nose. Which, coincidentally, was always in someone's business. "Mind telling us what it says after you've read it?"

Hermione figured she knew who the letter was from and turned hastily towards her office. "I'd rather I didn't, but thank you ladies. I appreciate you letting me know I have a letter and a lilac infested office." She quickly walked into her office, slammed the door (on accident), and tore into the envelope (quickly noting that as soon as she did, the lilac's stopped flying everywhere).

**Hermione, **she read. **If you could please write me back and let me know what time you could possibly take a lunch break and meet me in Room 13 at The Leaky Cauldron, I'd appreciate it. I really need to talk to you about the other night. P.S. If you could, also write Scorp a note back. He's absolutely dying because you haven't responded. Thank you, Draco. **

Hermione thought for a moment. "Bastard." she swore before scribbling a note back and sending it off to the owlery.

When a big, fluffy brown Ministry owl flew into Draco's window, he knew immediately who it was from.

**Draco, I can meet you at 11:30 but can't stay longer than an hour. An hour and a half, at the most. Hermione.**

_Short, sweet, and full of emotion._ Draco thought. But, hey, at least she had agreed to meet him.

At 11 o'clock, Draco apparated into The Leaky Cauldron to rent Room 13 and waited.

X X X


	5. Chapter 5

**Spellbound**

**Chapter 5**

Draco paced the room, waiting on Hermione to show up and when she finally walked through the door, he forgot everything he was planning to say.

"H-Hi..." He stuttered.

"Hello. What did you want to see me about?" She sounded very formal and he didn't like it.

"I thought you would have figured what this was all about."

"I have an idea. But why don't you tell me." She sat stiffly on the edge of the bed, not wanting to make herself comfortable.

"I- Well, I talked to Astoria." He watched for a reaction but all she did was nod her head for him to continue. "Apparently, she's found herself a boyfriend, so she gave us her blessing. If we wanted it, that is."

"Why do we need a 'blessing'? That- That was a one time thing, Draco. What part of that don't you get?"

"But I don't want it to just be a one time thing. I want you. I want to be with you."

"I'm already spoken for, Draco. Can't you see that? I got home yesterday and Ron and I had the best time since we got married. It was like being newlyweds again. It was good. We- We just can't do that. We can't be anything." She stood up. "I have to go. And if you're going to send me anything at work again, please put my actual name on it."

"I can't do that, Hermione."

"And why not? It's my name."

"Because. I can't. Doing that would be admitting to myself that you aren't mine. That someone else snatched you up before I could."

"And someone else did, Draco! Someone decided long before you did that I was good enough for them! And now, I'm just supposed to throw that all away for some pompous arsehole who thinks he deserves everything he sets his eyes on? Are you mental? Seriously."

"I'm not the same person I was! I am not that same 'pompous arsehole'! I've realized a lot of things since then. I realized that I made a mistake calling you the things that I did and being the bully I was. But that's what I knew! I thought I was better than everyone! And then 6th year happened and I realized I was just a pawn in everyone's fucking games. I realized I was better than that. I realized that I was the biggest tool on the planet, literally." Draco took a shaky step towards Hermione. "And then, with your face plastered everywhere, I realized I was wrong about you."

"How? How were you wrong about me?"

"I realized you weren't some frizzy haired, bucktoothed know-it-all. I realized that you were brave, and a really good friend to stand by Potter like that. I realized that you really were smart and clever. And beautiful."

"Draco. Stop-" Hermione's voice cracked.

"You're the one who asked. I realized that just by reading about you in the Prophet, that I was falling for you."

"Don't say that. You don't love me."

"I didn't say I loved you. I said I was falling for you. There's a difference. But one day, if you would let me, I'd fall completely in love with you."

"Don't say that!" She yelled.

"Why the hell not?!" He yelled right back.

"Because you couldn't love me! You can't!"

"Why does everybody think that I'm incapable of loving someone?!" He was angrier than Hermione had ever seen him and she didn't like it.

"Have you ever given them a reason to believe you could?" Hermione had small tears forming in her eyes.

"No one's ever given me the chance! You and Astoria, you just assume I'm some cold-hearted bastard and don't give me a chance. And I'm sick of it. I want to prove to you I can be someone you would want to be with."

"Why now? What makes me so different now from when we were at school? I am still the exact same muggle-born I was. And why the hell should I give you a chance after everything you put me and my friends through?"

"Maybe you haven't changed, but I have. You may be the exact same, but I'm different. You saw that the other day. You can't deny that." Draco took another step closer to Hermione. "I want to dance to Frank Sinatra with you. I want to watch movies with you. And I want to go eat at weird muggle restaurants with you."

"You remembered Frank Sinatra?" Hermione whispered.

Draco took one last step towards her and placed a hand behind her neck. "You said you loved his music. Why wouldn't I try and remember something you said you loved?"

"Draco-" Hermione's voice caught in her throat.

"Hermione..." He whispered.

"What?" was all she could whisper back.

"Kiss me." She started to say something, but Draco stopped her. "Please. Just kiss me."

And she did. Once she pressed her lips against his, she knew there was no going back. SHe knew that the previous events between them weren't just a one time thing. And once his hands became tangled in her hair and her arms seemed to involuntarily wrap around his neck, she knew that she was in this for the long haul.

Draco's hand made his way to the tops of Hermione's thighs, and he lifted her legs around him. He spun around and laid her down on the bed and couldn't help but smile at he look on her face. "Scared, Granger?" He said, uttering the same phrase he had used on Harry their first year, just in a completely different context now.

Hermione chuckled because she remembered he had used that line before and answered the same way Harry had. "You wish." She said, playfully, as she pulled off her shirt. Draco almost forgot how to breathe.

"You are stunning." he said inbetween kisses trailing up from her collarbone to her mouth.

Afterwards, Hermione was laying with her head on Draco's chest and he was playing with her hair when she glanced at her watch. "Fuck. I have to get back to work." She sat up and began pulling her hair into a ponytail.

Draco sat up and placed a kiss on her shoulder. "Awe, do you really have to?"

"Yes, I really do. They like me there. They'll miss me and start to worry if I'm gone too long."

"But I'll miss you, too. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"It does, but you aren't paying me to work. I need the money. I have to go." She quickly got dressed and then crawled across the bed to give Draco a kiss. "I'll write you." She winked, gave him one more kiss, and then she was gone.

Draco fell backwards onto the bed and sighed; glad that the day had gone better than expected.

X X X


	6. Chapter 6

**Spellbound**

**Chapter Six**

When Hermione walked in the door after work, Ron greeted her with a hug and a kiss. "Are you okay?" He asked. "I got an owl saying you mysteriously vanished from work for almost 3 hours."

"Yeah. I'm good. I was- I was just- Uhm..." She couldn't lie her way out of it this time. "I was with Malfoy."

"Oh. He wanted to talk to you again?"

"Yeah... Something like that." Hermione couldn't hide the regret etched on her face.

"What's the matter? What happened?" Ron scrunched his eyebrows together, worried.

"You might want to sit down. Please."

Ron sat down on the couch slowly. " 'Mione, what's the matter? Is everything okay?"

"No. Look... I- I lied to you the other day. I wasn't at my parents house. Uhm- Malfoy took me to Paris." Hermine paused, trying to group her thoughts together. "At first, it was just to get away from prying ears. But then nightfall hit, and he wanted to go out and go dancing. And I went along with it because I've been wanting to for so long and we haven't been in years..." She paused again.

"Go on..." Ron didn't like where this was going.

"We danced and drank a little too much wine... And we ended up in bed together." There she had said it. Some of it, at least.

Ron stayed quiet, letting what Hermione had told him sink in.

"Will you please say something?"

"So..." He said, slowly. "You mean to tell me... That you went and had sex with someone; Malfoy, of all people; then lied to me. And _then_, we went out, had a good time together, came home and had sex with me; you know, your husband? And went and slept with Malfoy. Again."

"Yes... I'm so sorry, Ron. I- I just couldn't keep lying..."

"Are you going to stop seeing him?"

"No..." Hermione whispered.

"Then, get out."

"Ronald..."

"I said get out, Hermione. I mean it." They both had tears rolling down their faces. "Pack a bag and leave. Now."

"What's going on?" said a small voice standing in the entryway to the living room.

"Oh, Rosie. Sweetie." Hermione wiped her face and bent down to the little girls level. "Mummy's going to go away for a little while, okay? But in a few days, I'll come get you and Brother and you can stay with me for a bit. But then you'll have to come back to Daddy."

"Where are you going? Why can't we go?"

"Just on a little vacation. You can come in a few days. I promise."

The little girls face fell a bit. "Okay. Why are you sad?"

"I- I don't want to take a vacation. But I have to. Now, go play. I'll come tell you guys good-bye when I leave."

Rose left the room and Hermione gave one last sad look at Ron before heading to their bedroom to pack. When she was done and had told the children bye, she stood in the living room with her bags.

"Ron, say something. Please?"

"What do I say? Why? What did I do to make you do this?"

"I-" She wanted to tell him, she just couldn't. "I don't know. I just don't."

Ron gave one final nod to Hermione and walked out of the room.

x x x

Within a couple of hours, Hermione had found herself a hotel and gotten a letter to Draco telling him to meet her at a small bakery down the street. She waited patiently at a small table, mindlessly stirring at a cup of coffee that had gotten cold. When he walked in and saw her, he knew something was wrong. He sat down across from her and she moved her cup out of the way.

"He told me to leave." Hermione said before Draco had a chance to talk.

"Did you really expect him to do anything else?"

"No... I just didn't think it would be so hard. Especially having to leave the kids."

Draco nodded. "I'm sorry..." Hermione just nodded. "Where are you staying?" He said, shifting his weight in his chair, clearly uncomfortable in the tiny muggle bakery.

"A hotel down the way. Walk with me?"

They left and walked quietly to the hotel. When they walked into her room, Draco was shocked. He hadn't realized it was a muggle hotel, as well.

"Why are you staying here? Why not somewhere run by... You know... Us?"

"You forget where I come from. I've spent my life, since I was 11, in your world. I want some time in mine. I want to stay in a muggle hotel. I want a telephone and a tv and a computer with Internet." Hermione chuckled, sadly. "You know, you'd think that since Ronald grew up with a father as obsessed with muggles as he was, he'd be more accepting of the things I wanted. But he wasn't." Draco didn't know what to say. "I want both worlds, Draco. But I'm never gonna get that in the same place, am I?"

"You can. You just have to find the right person to accept both. Someone who grew up in a different way than you might find it hard to change their lifestyle that drastically."

"What about you? Would you try?"

Draco grabbed Hermione's hand. "I... Will try my hardest." He leaned in and managed a small kiss on her lips before she turned away.

"Will you stay with me tonight? I want to just sleep, but I don't think I can by myself."

"Of course I'll stay. I'll stay as long as you want me to."

Hermione smiled. "Thank you." She laid down on the bed and patted the spot next to her. "Wanna watch a movie? I won't mind if you asked questions."

Draco took the coveted spot next to Hermione and smiled when she laid her head on his shoulder. "I'll probably ask a lot of questions."

"I know." Hermione turned on the TV and found the movie channels. "Oh, Pride & Prejudice. I love this one. It's fairly new, but it's from a book that was written in the 1800s. It's really good. Probably one of my favorites."

"I'll give it a try." Draco smiled and Hermione kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you."

X X X


	7. Chapter 7

**Spellbound**

**Chapter Seven **

Hermione woke up the next morning, only to realize she was in bed alone. Her heart sank and she thought that maybe the night before had been too much for Draco and he had bailed in the middle of the night, but when she heard the bathroom door open, she smiled a bit.

"So, I was gonna sneak down to that cafe we met at yesterday and surprise you with something for breakfast, but then I realized I don't know the first thing about muggle money. And even if I did, I figured you wouldn't like me rifling through your things to find some..." Draco said, as he was towel-drying his hair. "So, I decided to take a shower and wait for you to wake up so we could both go."

"I can always show you." Hermione said, as she sat up and pulled her hair into a ponytail.

Draco sat down next to her on the bed. "Did you sleep alright?"

"Yeah, it was okay, I guess. Better since I had someone next to me."

"Good. I'm glad." He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Is it okay if I kiss you? Or is it too soon?"

"No... You can kiss me." Hermione smiled into the kiss, which Draco kept short. "Did you sleep okay? You look tired."

"Mostly I watched you." He chuckled. "I know that's a little creepy, but I was worried about you. You kept tossing and turning and mumbling."

Hermione's cheeks flushed and she bit her lip and scrunched her face up. "I didn't say anything embarrassing, did I?"

"No. I couldn't really make out what you were saying." He seemed sincere enough, so Hermione nodded her head.

"You look really tired, Draco. We don't have to go anywhere if you don't want to."

"Trust me. I've had worse sleepless nights than that. At least I was in the company of someone who can kind of tolerate me this time."

Hermione smiled and playfully pushed at his chest. "I can tolerate you just fine, thanks."

"Go shower. We can go exploring or something and you can teach me about all your weird muggle things."

"_My_ weird muggle things? Like I'm the only muggle left in the world or something." She said, getting up and heading towards the bathroom.

"Something like that." Draco winked as Hermione turned around and looked at him before closing the bathroom door.

Hermione undressed and quickly stepped under the hot water running out of the shower. As the water ran over her, she thought about the previous night. It had definitely gone better than she had thought it would. It surprised her that Draco was willing to change so much of his life for her when her own husband couldn't. And it was still hard to comprehend that Draco really wasn't the same person he had been when they first met. He was the complete and total opposite. He was kind and gentle and smart and- Her thoughs were interrupted by Draco knocking at the bathroom door.

"Sorry to bug you, but there's an annoying little owl flitting around the room with a letter for you and every time I try to take it off, it pecks the shit out of me."

"Just leave it alone, silly, and I'll be out in a minute or two."

Draco couldn't help himself. As she spoke, he let his mind wander. He had already seen her naked, yes. But he wondered what that looked like in the shower. Naked, wet Hermione. He almost thought he could get away with doing something, maybe resorting to a small spell, to make the shower curtain fly open. But he thought twice. She had barely wanted to kiss him, yet she'd be okay with him practically hopping in the shower with her? Not a chance.

"Draco?" Her voice now interrupted him and he jumped.

"Uhmm- Whaa- Yeah?"

"I said I'll be out in a minute. Didn't you hear me?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. I, uh, zoned out for a minute. See you when you get out." He edged his way out of the bathroom and shut the door before he got himself into trouble.

When Hermione finally walked out of the bathroom, in a light blue babydoll tee and blue jeans, Draco had gotten himself under control.

"Will you get that bloody owl before I kill it?"

"Are you scared of the big, bad, mean ol' owl, Draco?"

"No. It's annoying and stupid. And it bit me. Not cool."

"You are such a child." Hermione reached for the owl and it landed next to her so that she was able to untie the letter off of its leg. As soon as she untied the owl's burden, it flew off and out the open window. "Damn it." Hermione whispered as she read down the letter.

"What?"

"Ginny. She went to my office and I wasn't there. She wants to meet me in Diagon Alley and 'have a chat with me'."

"That doesn't sound good."

"It probably isn't. I did cheat on her brother, you know."

"True. So, are you going to meet her?"

"I guess I have to... Will you be okay here by yourself?"

Draco thought for a second. "Well, I can go do a few things I needed to do today to waste time while you're gone, I guess."

"Okay, that's good, I guess. I'll only be gone an hour, at the most." Hermione leaned in and kissed Draco. An actual, good kiss this time. One that left them both wanting more. "Keep hold of that for when I get back." She said, smiling. "I might need it again."

Draco grinned. "Alright. I can do that."

And with a pop, Hermione was gone and reappeared in Diagon Alley. She scanned the street and surrounding shops for Ginny's hair to stand out from somewhere. When she finaly saw the flaming red hair of her sister-in-law, her stomach dropped.

"Ginny!" she called out, nervously.

"Hey!" Ginny called back as she turned around and began to walk towards Hermione.

"I guess I'm safe to assume this isn't a social call, is it?" Hermione said as they met up and began to walk together.

"Not really. I just wanted to hear what you had to say about everything."

"Like what?"

"Uhm, like why. We all thought everything was okay between you guys."

Hermione twirled a piece of hair around her finger. "It was... For a while... But then things changed. Things haven't been okay in a while."

"What? With you? With Ron?"

"Ron... Changed. After the kids were born, he stopped trying. We didn't go out anymore. He practically banned anything thing muggle-related from the house. I guess it's a pre-midlife crisis. That's a thing, right?"

"But, seriously, Hermione. Draco Malfoy? He's the one you choose to mess around with?"

"He's... Different. He's not the same as he was. He's wonderful, actually. And a hell of a kisser. Among other things." Hermione chuckled.

"I can't talk about those things with you! It just doesn't feel right!" Ginny laughed. "But I always imagined he was..."

Hermione laughed again, before asking the inevitable question. "So, how's Ron?"

"Mum wants you to get the kids. He dropped them off yesterday after you left. And then, he went home and hasn't gotten out of bed since. I can bring them to you, if you'd like. I'm sure you don't want to face Mum right now."

"No... Not particularly. I can't believe he's being such a stupid git that he can't even hold it together for the kids. It's barely been a day."

"Well, how would you take it?"

"Yeah... I guess you're right..."

"I'll go grab the kids from Mum and meet you back here." Hermione nodded in appreciation as Ginny popped out of sight. When she reappeared, the two small children ran to hug their mother.

"Mummy," said Rose, when she was done with the hug, "I think Daddy is sad because he can't come on vacation with us. Can we go get him?"

"No, sweetie. This isn't a vacation for Daddy's. This is just a Mummy and babies vacation. Do you remember Mr. Malfoy that you met the other day?" Rose nodded. "We're going to stay with him for a bit. He has a little boy your age, remember?"

"Yeah. Is he fun?"

"Who? Mr. Malfoy or his son?"

"Both. We've been with James and Al and Fred all day. If they aren't fun, this is gonna suck." Rose said matter-of-factly.

Hermione and Ginny laughed at the little girl. For an almost 5-year-old, she was definitely wise beyond her years. Even if she was only as wise as a 10-year-old.

Hermione hugged Ginny. "Thank you."

"Do you want me to talk to him? Because I can knock some sense into him, if you know what I mean."

"No. It's fine. I'll do it at some point."

Ginny placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Okay. I still love you. And you're my sister, no matter what."

"Right back at you." Hermione pulled Hugo up onto her hip, grabbed Rose's hand, and was gone.

X X X X


	8. Chapter 8

**Spellbound**

**Chapter Eight**

When Hermione and the children made it back to the hotel room, she smiled at the figures of Draco and Scorpius curled up together, asleep, on the bed. So, she quietly conjured up two small cots and a small crib. She tucked Rose into a cot and Hugo into the crib before gently moving Scorpius to the remaining cot, careful to not wake him up in the process. Once the children were settled, she crawled into bed with Draco for a well-deserved nap. When she snuggled up to Draco, he smiled in his sleep and snaked his arm around her.

A month later, the 5 of them were still living in the cramped hotel room. Draco stayed because Hermione did and Scorpius wanted to stay with his father. Rose and Hugo, even though they didn't want to leave Hermione, had no choice. Hermione couldn't get any of the Weasley's to answer a letter or even their doors. The only correspondence she had was with Ginny and even she wasn't getting anywhere with her family. Both her and Hermione had went to Ron's house one day and knocked for what seemed like hours. Hermione knew he was home because, looking in the window, she could see things that were in the same places he kept them only when he was there. Ginny tried getting her to just apparate inside but Hermione felt like that was intruding and refused.

Hermione was frustrated. Her letters were all returned, unopened. And to top it off, Rose had begun to have nightmares and had taken to crawling in bed with Scorpius at night because she said he kept the bad things away. Actually, she wasn't just frustrated, she was more than that. And she was frustrated because she couldn't think of a better word to describe how she was feeling.

One night, Draco had gotten Astoria to take Scorpius, and after many failed attempts with the Weasley clan (again), Hermione had gotten Ginny to babysit Rose and Hugo. The pair went out on what Draco had joking dubbed "another damn Muggle date" and, when they got back to the hotel, decided to crawl under the covers and watch a movie.

"You know, I'm really starting to like these things." Draco said, smiling at Hermione. "They're very interesting. None of them are exactly alike."

"I knew they'd grow on you." She leaned her head over and gave Draco a small kiss. As Hermione went to pull away, he tangled his hand in her hair and pulled her back. "What was that all about?" she asked, when they broke apart.

"Well, for one, you looked unbelievably gorgeous tonight. And second, we don't have to go hide in the bathroom to do what we want to do since the kids aren't here, so I thought I'd try and take full advantage of that."

"Oh, really?"

"Oh, yeah." Draco, smiling, leaned in for another kiss and Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck.

Later on, after they had both fallen asleep, Hermione awoke with a start. The dream she had been having ended abruptly, scaring her awake. She didn't feel right. The dream had felt too real to just be a figment of her imagination. It was almost like a prediction of her future; a future that didn't include Draco. Or Ron. Or anyone she loved and cared about, actually. And it scared the shit out of her. She quickly and quietly penned a short note to Ginny and sent it off before climbing back into bed. She turned on her side and just stared at Draco. She moved some hair that had fallen into his eyes and she just listened to him softly snoring. Finally, after forcing her brain to shut itself off, Hermione drifted off into a very uneasy sleep.

The pair awoke the next morning to an owl rapping on the window. Hermione got up quickly, hoping it was Ginny's answer. And it was. She breathed a sigh of relief as she tucked the letter into her purse and began to get dressed.

"Where are you off to so early?" Draco said, sleepily.

"I have to go meet Ginny to get the children. Just go back to sleep. I'll be back shortly." She had only fibbed a little, considering she really did have to pick up Rose and Hugo, but she also needed someone to talk to. Draco nodded and puckered his lips, waiting for a kiss. Hermione giggled and placed a tiny one on his lips and he fell backwards onto his pillow and rolled over.

The two women met in a small cafe, and as they sat there drinking their cappuccino's, Hermione told Ginny about her dream. "It was scary. And dark and lonely. I don't want to end up all alone, Gin. I don't think I could take it."

"It was only a dream. I don't think you're going to end up alone with 50 cats. Or alone, in general. You do have a lot of people who care about you. Even if most of them aren't exactly pleased with you at the present moment."

"But what if it wasn't a dream? What if it was a vision or something?"

"Are you psychic now, darling?" Ginny smiled into her coffee.

"Shut up. You are so not the person I need to talk to about shit like this. I need someone slightly logical." Hermione thought for a second. "Do you think you could get Harry to talk to me? I know he's probably furious, though..."

"Not as much as he was... But I can talk to him, I guess. I'm sure he'll talk to you. You are still his best friend, you know."

"Well, tell him that if I don't hear from him by tomorrow morning, I understand. But if he decided to, tell him to send me a time and place."

Hermione rounded her kids up and pulled Hugo onto her hip. Ginny placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Hey, if all else fails, I'll personally buy you Crookshanks Jr."

"Shut up, Ginny." Hermione laughed as she grabbed Rose's hand and apparated back to her hotel. When they popped into the room, it was empty and she sighed a bit out of relief. She decided to cuddle up with Rose and Hugo on the bed and watch a movie to pass the time.

Draco didn't get back until after nightfall, and about 20 minutes before he arrived an owl appeared at the window. Hermione recognized Harry's untidy handwriting on the envelope immediatly.

_Hermione,_ it said, _meet me at The Leaky Cauldron at 2. If you aren't there, I might just have to actually hate you. Harry._

She was able to hide the letter before Draco got back, but could barely hide the fact that her stomach was now in knots. She had no idea what Harry was going to tell her. And she didn't know if they would even still be friends after they were done with their conversation.

As they were all falling asleep that night, Hermione turned towards Draco in bed. "Do you think you could keep all three kids for about an hour or two tomorrow? I have some errands I need to run..."

"Yeah, sure. Anything important?"

"Not really. Just easier without tagalongs."

Draco nodded and kissed Hermione goodnight before turning over and beginning to snore almost immediately. She tossed and turned for hours before succumbing to a fitful nights sleep.

When Hermione awoke the next morning, a lot was weighing on her mind. She didn't know how much Harry was willing to talk about, let alone help her with. After pacing quietly for a few minutes, she quickly dressed, placed kisses on everyone's foreheads and apparated into Diagon Alley. She knew it was hours before she had to meet Harry, but she didn't want Draco to question her nervousness. After browsing almost every single shop, it was finally almost two and she made her way to the front of the street and to the Leaky Cauldron.

Hermione waited nervously, but patiently, at a table close to the front. And when she saw that messy head of black hair walk in, her heart jumped to her throat. This was a mistake. She just knew that Harry wouldn't be any help. She just knew it. But she spoke up anyways. "Harry!" She yelled, waving her arm in the air so he'd see her.

Harry smiled and walked over to his best friend, who he warmly embraced before he sat down.

X X X


	9. Chapter 9

**Spellbound**

**Chapter Nine**

"It's so good to see you, Hermione. It's been ages." Harry said, smiling at the girl across from him. "I've been wanting to meet with you, just didn't know if anyone would be okay with it..."

Hermione didn't know if 'anyone' referred to Draco or Ron, but didn't press it. "How have you been? And GInny?"

"Good. Really good, actually. Did she tell you she was pregnant?"

"Of course not. Congratulations! How long have you known?"

"About 3 or 4 weeks. She never mentioned it?" Harry didn't knnow why she wouldn't have.

"No, she didn't. Bitch." Hermione laughed a little. "So... How is he?"

Harry knew who Hermione meant. "A lttle better, I guess. Still seems kind of lost. But he's actually getting out of bed for more than 5 minutes at a time. And he's eating and showering... Well, sometimes showering... He's let the shaving go by the wayside, though... He looks like a mountain man, actually..." Harry chuckled a bit.

Hermione sighed and buried her face in her hands. "I have to go home, don't I, Harry?"

Harry shook his head slowly. "I can't make that decision for you. I can help, but I can't tell you what to do."

"Then, help. Because I am at a complete loss here. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do."

"Okay... Well, how has the past 6 weeks been compared to before?"

"It's been... Great. And wonderful. And stressless. Draco is really not what I thought he'd turn out to be like. He's kind and warm and... And he actually does the things I want to do." Hermione sighed. "But I have a family. And I have a husband. And I have an obligation to make the best decisions concerning that family. And I really haven't done that."

"What about the guys? How are they compared to each other?" Harry absentmindedly swirled his drink in his cup. He already knew how this was going to end up, Hermione just had to reach the conclusion herself.

"Draco is... Great. I really do like him. He's funny and caring and so different from what he used to be..."

"But...?" Harry smiled a bit. He knew she had gotten her answer.

"But I love my husband. I love Ronald Weasley." She smiled a bit and her face flushed. "It's always been him. Hasn't it, Harry? It's always been that red-haired boy with dirt on his nose, trying to turn his rat yellow that first day on the train." Hermione brought her hand to her mouth. "And I've known this all along, haven't I?"

"I think you've answered your own questions, Hermione." Harry grinned.

"If only he might take me back. I wouldn't if I were him. I screwed up, more than I deserve forgiveness for."

"Trust me. He'll take you back. I know he will. You just have to lay down the law."

"Yes, definitely. Things will have to change."

Harry nodded. "Now you just have to talk to Draco, you know... "

Hermione cringed. "And Mrs. Weasley..."

"I'll manage to stay away from The Burrow during that conversation." Harry chuckled. "But I think she'll forgive you in time."

"Thank you so much, Harry. I know I could have gotten here by myself, but it would have taken way longer. Maybe too long."

x x x

Hermione apparated into the hotel room, and sullenly looked at Draco. "Can I talk to you out on the balcony?"

"Yeah... Sure... What's the matter?"

"We have to talk..."

Draco's heart fell. Those words were never good coming from a female. Or anyone, for that matter. "What about?" He asked, after he had followed her outside.

"I'm going home. And you need to, as well." Hermione said, bluntly.

"What? Why? What about-?"

"We can't do this anymore, Draco." Hermione sighed. "As lovely as this has been, I have a family I need to worry about. And so do you. You need to go home and tell your wife that she needs to stop seeing whoever she's seeing and that you need to be a family. This isn't right, you and me. And as much as I want to stay, I can't. Deep down, I can tell you love your wife. And I love my husband. And that's who we need to be with. We aren't frivolous teenagers anymore. We need to do what's right for our families."

"Hermione..." Draco had begun forming a speech in his head, but it disappeared. "You're right... Aren't you?"

"Always have been. Always will be." She smiled a bit. "I do care for you, Draco. Always will. But we have responsibilities and we've let them go for all of this." She placed a kiss on his cheek. "If you ever need to talk to someone, I'm here. But only to talk. Nothing else."

"I understand. Thank you for this... Vacation from reality, I guess. I've definitely enjoyed your company. Among other things." Draco smirked. "I guess I can officially say, I'm one of the only two people who've seen you naked... And, not that I'll cash in on it, but I think I won the bet between a few friends and I that we made 5th year."

"You made a bet about what I looked like naked?" Hermione looked at Draco like he was on drugs.

"I always thought there was something hiding behind all that hair and teeth." Draco grinned as Hermione smacked him in the arm. "And I was right." The pair laughed. "You've turned into quite a beautiful woman, Hermone."

"I'm glad this went well. I do care for you a lot, Draco."

"Right back at you. Come on, I'll help you pack."

An hour later, when the room was cleaned and cleared of extra junk, the pair stared at each other. "So, this is good bye?" Draco said, a little sadly.

"For now. Maybe one of these days, we could still be friends."

"I'm going to miss you, Hermione. I really am."

"I'm going to miss you, as well. But this is what's best."

They shared one last, long kiss before Draco and Scorpius apparated out and Hermione, Rose, and Hugo walked downstairs to check out. Before closing the door to the hotel room, Hermione took one last glance, not wanting to forget for a minute. But then quickly closed the door. This was just one tiny part of her life. She had many more great moments to come. She just knew it.

X X X


	10. Chapter 10

**Spellbound **

**Chapter Ten**

Draco and Scorpius appeared in their living room and began to look for Astoria. When they found her in the library, Draco told Scorpius to go play and he walked in to talk to his wife.

"We need to talk." He said, sitting down in front of her.

"About what?" Astoria asked, sitting down her book.

"Hermione and I split up and it got me thinking. Well, she got me thinking, actually. We need to suck it up and start acting like a family. And this whole seeing other people thing needs to stop." Draco took a deep breath. "So, I want you to stop seeing whoever it is that you're seeing. Immediately."

"Who are you to tell me what to do?"

"I am your husband. That's who. And I want us to start actling like a family."

Astoria was dumbfounded. "We've never been a family, Draco. Why start now?"

"Because I want us to be one. I've always wanted that. And you used to. So, why can't we have that?"

Astoria stood up abruptly. "Because... I- I don't know, Draco."

Draco stood up and grabbed Astoria's hand. "Do you want this?"

"Yes..." She breathed. "I do, Draco. But I don't want it to be because you feel obligated. I want you to do it because you want to."

"And I want to. There is a part of me that does love you. And then, there's a part of me that knows we need to get to know each other again. So, I propose that we date again."

"I quite like the idea of that, Draco. We were happier when we did it the first time."

"Can I kiss you?" Draco asked, her had still in his. "It's been forever since you've let me."

Astoria hesitated, but for barely a second. "Yes, Draco, you can kiss me. I've very much missed the feeling of your lips on mine."

And Draco obeyed. He brought his hand up to the side of her face and kissed her. And they both knew, in that moment alone, that they could make this work.

x x x

Hermione apparated into Ron's living room and sent the children off to their playroom. When Ron heard noises downstairs, he poked his head around the corner at the top of the stairs and scowled. "What do you think you're doing here?"

"I want to come home, Ronald."

"Really? And you think you can just waltz in here and tell me that and think that i'll just let you back with open arms?" He slowly began to descend the steps until he reached Hermione. He crossed his arms and waited for an answer.

"No, I didn't expect that. But I wanted to talk to you and history has shown you to be a bit lazy at answering letters or doors. So, I figured this was the best way to do it."

"So, what do you want?"

"I want to come home. I want to be a family again."

"Yeah? And what if I don't want that anymore?"

Hermione's eyes began to fill with tears. "Because I know you, Ronald. You do."

"Awww, 'Mione, don't cry." Ron's face softened a bit. "Too much has happened. Trust is... Gone. I can't look past that. Have you stopped seeing... Him?" Ron couldn't bring himself to even say Malfoy's name.

"Done. Completely. Never going to speak to him again unless it's absolutely life or death necessary. I ended it completely." Hermione took a deep breath. She was about to quote her favorite movie, not that Ron would get the reference, but she felt it was fitting. "My affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I would have to tell you-"

Ron finished the quote. "You have bewitched me, body and soul. And I love- I love- I love you." He moved towards Hermione and grabbed her hand. "And I never wish to be parted from you from this day on."

"You watched it." Hermione whispered, grasping Ron's hand tighter.

"It's your favorite movie. Why wouldn't I?" He pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Great minds think alike, you know. When I plucked up the courage, if you'd stayed gone, I was going to find you and use that whole line on you. I hoped it might win you back."

Hermione chuckled. "Great minds, yeah?"

"Yeah." Ron blushed beneath his new, bushy beard and chuckled, too. "I talked to Ginny. I understand why you did what you did. And things will be different. I promise."

"Things better be different, Ronald Weasley. Be the man I fell in love with again. The one who loved the things I did and wanted the same things."

"I am. And I will." He stepped closer. "I do love you, you know."

"And I love you, mountain man." Hermione grinned and bit her lip as Ron leaned in and kissed her.

X X X

**A/N: The end! Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, followed and favorited! I'm so proud of myself for actually finishing a story for once and I want to say thank you to my amazing betas who kept me on my toes to write more! And I'm so glad this story was well liked! I'm currently beginning the first chapters of a (kind of) sequel, but it won't be Dramione. I'm going to try my hand at Scorose! Thank you so much, again!**

**A/N2: Got the first chapter of my Scorose sequel, Forever And A Day posted! If anyone would like to read it, I'd greatly appreciate it! :)**

**XOXO; Arin Destruction**


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